Pouring spout closure



2 Sheets-Sheet 1 V II II v7 a H II M /lfi///// 7/7/72: "lull-u.

WILL/AM R. JOHN-SON" Illll ATTORNEYS Oct. 1, 1963 Filed Nov. 15, 1961 Oct. 1, 1963 w. R. JOHNSON POURING SPOUT CLOSURE 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Nov. 15, 1961 INV ENT OR W/LL/AM R. JOHNSON BY Jame fir/1Z0 ATTORNEYS 3,165,606 PQURENG SPOUT CLQSURE William R. .iohnson, Bristol, Conn, assignor to Assn ciated Spring Corporation, Bristol, Conn, a corporation of Eelaware Filed No 15, 1961, Ser. No. 152,568 Uaims. (61. 2120-24) This invention relates broadly to closures for openings. The closure provided by the invention may be applied to an opening through which fiowable material is poured into a container, i.e., a filling opening, or it may be applied to one through which such material is poured from a container, i.e., a pouring opening, or it may be applied to an opening which is not associated with a container at all. In this specification the closure provided by the invention will be described in connection with a pouring opening and also in connection with a filling opening :but it will be understood that the invention is not limited in any way by this description, which is for purposes of illustration only.

It has been the principal object of the invention to provide a very simple, inexpensive, and easily operable closure for an opening, and these objects are achieved by the device provided by the invention.

The invention is described in the following specification and is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a container having a pouring opening and having associated with it a closure device provided by the invention;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the container shown in FIG. 1;

FIGS. 3, 4, 5 and 6 are sectional views taken, respectively, on lines 3-3, 4-4, 55 and 6-6 of FIG. 2;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a closure device as provided by the invention, associated with a filling opening, the closure being shown in closed condition;

FIG. 8 is a View of the parts and closure of FIG. 7 but .'ith the closure device being shown in open condition;

ferent forms of the invention, and

FIG. 12 is a partial sectional view taken on line l2-l2 of FIG. 11.

A dispensing container having a pouring opening and the closure device provided by my invention is disclosed in FIG. 1 and comprises a container 2 which may be formed of any suitable material and which is adapted to contain a pourable solid or liquid. A handle 4 is mounted on the container 2 in any suitable way. The upper end of the container is closed throughout substantially its entire area by a sui able cover 6 having a pouring opening 8 formed therein which is located adjacent the periphery of the cover. Adjacent the pouring opening the upper surface of the cover 6, at and adjacent the sides of the opening, is curved upwardly at and adjacent the side edges of the opening, as shown at lit in FIG. 3. lnwardly of the inner end of the opening 8, which is the end adjacent the center of the cover 6, the upper surface of the cover is similarly and outwardly convexly curved as shown at 12 in FIG. 5. Between these spaced outwardly convex parts lltl, 12 the upper surface of the cover 6 is flat, as shown at 14 in FIG. 4.

FIGS. 9, and 11 disclose, respectively, three dif- Means are provided by the invention for normally closing the pouring opening 8, which closure means are easily operable to open and closed positions and have no parts which are relatively movable with respect to each other as the closure is operated to open and closed positions. This closure means comprises a strip of thin resilient material, which may be metal, having the special characteristic of being stable in either of two conditions, in one of which it is a rigid, longitudinally straight piece with an arcuately curved cross section, and in the other of which it is longitudinally curved throughout all or a part of its length in the direction toward the convex side of its cross section in its first condition and has a fiat or curved cross section. Strip material having these special characteristics is disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 2,956,795 to E. E. Foster, but it will be understood that the closure provided by this invention does not necessarily have the structure described and claimed in that patent, which is referred to only by way of illustration. The closure provided by the invention comprises a short piece of spring strip 20 having the described characteristics, being of such a length as to cover entirely the pouring opening 8 in the upwardly convex part 1d of the cover 6 and to extend beyond the inner end of the pouring opening over the outwardly convex part 10-, fiat part 14 and'outwardly convex part 12 of the cover 6. In its normal position closing the opening 8, the spring strip is in its straight, un-coiled condition and therefore has the upwardly convex cross sectional shape shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. In this normal condition its lower, concave side lies in face-to-face engagement with the upwardly convex surface 10 at and adjacent the pouring opening 8 and with the similarly shaped part 12 disposed inwardly of the inner end of the pouring opening. At this inner end, the strip is attached to the cover 6 by fastening means 22. As described above, an area of the upper surface of the cover between the outwardly convex parts 10 and 12 is flat, as shown at 14 in FIGS. 4 and 6, and in this area the outwardly convex strip 20 is disposed above the upper surface of the cover 6.

In the use and operation of my invention the closure strip 29 normally lies in its straight, cross-curved, uncoiled condition in face-to-face engagement with the outwardly convex areas 10, 12 of the cap. The spring closure member is stable inthis condition and completely closes the pouring opening 8 in part 10. When it is desired to pour from the container the spring closure memher is depressed with the thumb at that part thereof which lies above the flat area 14 of the cover 6. This downward pressure on the closure member at this area causes. it to flatten in this area and to move immediately to its second stable condition, in which it is upwardly coiled or curved, as shown in dotted lines in HGS. 1 and 6. When the pouring is completed the closure member -20 may be returned to closed position merely by pushing it back to its original stable condition with the thumb. When this is done and the closure again assumes its straight condition, it will also resume its curved cross 3 this invention. The spout comprises l8. cylindrical tube, the upper end of which is transversely curved, having oppositely disposed upwardly arcuate parts 32, 34- between which are two lower parts or valleysfi, 33. The upper edge of the peripheral wall of the spout, formed in this manner, conforms exactly in shape to the arcuate transverse curvature of the closure strip 40, which has the characteristics described above and therefore is movable from one stable condition, shown in FIG. 7, in which it is linearly straight and transversely curved and lies above and in fiac'e to-face engagement with the upper peripheral edge 32, 38, 34, 36 of the spout, closing the same, to a second stable condition, shown in FIG. 8, in which it is coiled or curved away from the upper peripheral edge of the spout thereby opening the same. A fixed part 42. is positioned adjacent but spaced from the pouring spout and has an upper surface which is outwardly and arcwately convex to correspond to the transverse curvatures of the strip and the upper edge of the spout. This fixed outwardly alrcuaitely part has the same curvature as the upper edge of the spout and is axially aligned therewith. Between these two outwardly arcuate parts, which support the upeer outer end parts of the closure member when it is in its straight condition, the second part of the closure strip is unsupported and may therefore be depressed, as by the thumb. When this is done the un-attached end of the closure strip, which lies above and normally closes the spout, moves to the second stable position or condition of the strip, which is shown in FIG. 8, thereby opening the end of the spout.

Another form of closure provided by the invention is disclosed in FiG. 9, in which there is illustrated a container cover or other member or part Ell having an opening 52 therein which is formed in a part 54 of member 56 having an outwardly convex, transversely curved, elongated upper surface. A linearly straight, transversely curved strip es ha 'ng the characteristics of the corresponding strips described above is attached at or adjacent its one end, by screw 53, to the part 54 at one side of the opening 52 and extends across the opening to the part of member 54 on the other side of the open-ing and further extends beyond the edge of the part to overhang the same, as shown at 63. This closure strip may be moved irom its one stable condition lying in face-to-tace engagement with the upper surface of the part 50 to a second stable condition in which it is curved upwardly away from part 50, uncovering opening 52. This movement of the closure member 55 may be accomplished with the thumb or any finger by exerting upward pressure on the overhanging part 60 of the closure member or by pressure on the convex and concave sides of such overhanging part tending to change the cross sectional shape of the closure strip from arcu'ate to flat.

A further embodiment of the invention is disclosed in FIG. and comprises the parts 5%, 54 which corresponds to the similarly numbered parts of the embodiment of the invention shown in FIG. 9. In the embodiment of FIG. 10, however, the opening 7t? in member is of increasing area toward the upper surfiace of member 56 and the closure member 72, which is attached at its one end to member 54, does not have an overhanging part such as part 56 in FIG. 9. The closure member 72 does, however, extend entirely across the opening 70 and normally closes it. To operate the closure member 72 from its normal position closing the opening 76 to an upwardly curved position in which the opening is uncovered it is necessary only to depress the closure member immediately above the opening 7%.

A still further embodiment of the invention is shown in FIGS. 11 and 12 and corresponds in all ways to that illustrated in FIGS. 9 and 10 except that the lip 80 of the part 50 is raised above the remainder of that part so that the closure strip 82 is slightly upwardly bowed, thus making it easier to operate to its second stable condition in which the opening 84 is uncovered. It will be obvious that this closure member may be operated to open position uncovering the opening either by exerting pressure on the overhanging part 35 as described in connection with FIG;9, or by exerting downward pressure on the part of the closure member above the opening 84, as described in connection with F 1G. 16.

Whilel have described and illustrated a number of embodiments of my invention, it will be apparent that other embodiments, 1228 well as modifications of those disclosed,

may be made and practiced without departing in any way i from the spirit or scope of the invention, for the limits on? which reference must be made to the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. in combination, a part having a convex, part cylindrical surface having an opening therein, and a resilient strip of material having a first stable condition in which it is linearly straight and transversely larcuately curved and having also a second stable condition in which it is curved from end to end in the direction of the side which is convex in its first stable condition, said resilient strip being normally in its first stable condition with its concave side lying in face-to-face engagement with the convex surface of said part and closing said opening, means spaced from said opening connecting said strip to said part, said strip being operable to said second stable condition in which the part thereof normally closing said opening is removed from said opening.

2. in combination, :a part having a convex part cylin: dirical surface having an opening therein, and a resilient strip of material having a first stable condition in which it is linearly straight and transversely arculaltely curved and having also a second stable condition in which it is curved from end to end in the direction of the side which is convex in its first stable condition, said resilient strip being normally in its first stable condition with its concave side lying in 'face-to-faoe engagement with the convex surliace of said part and closing said opening and extending beyond the edge of said part. 3. In combination, a member having an opening there- 1n, the surface of the member Where it surrounds and forms the periphery of the opening being arcuately outwardly convex laterally of the opening, the member also having a part spaced from the opening and being arcuately outwardly convex laterally of the opening and in axial ali nment with the outwardly convex part which surrounds the opening, the surface of the member between said outwardly convex parts being below the surfaces of said outwardly convex parts, and a closure for the opening comprising a strip of resilient material above and normally 1n face-to-face contact with both said outwardly convex parts thereby to close the opening and lying above the part between said outwardly convex parts, and means connecting the strip to the part at the end of the strip removed from the opening, whereby upon depression of the part of the strip above the surface between said outwardly convex parts the strip coils upwardly thereby uncovering the opening. i I

4. A container having a cover, the outer surface of the cover having two spaced aligned part-cylindrical upwardly convex parts, one of which is located adjacent the periphery of the cover, the upper surface of the cover between said upwardly convex parts being lower than the upper surfaces of said parts, the cover having an opening therein located in the upwardly convex part adjacent the periphery of the cover, a strip of resilient material above and normally in face-.to-face contact withthe upper surfaces of the two upwardly convex parts and normally covering and closing the opening and extending above the part of the upper surface of the cover between the two upwardly convex parts thereof, means connect ing the strip to the cover at the end of the strip removed from the opening, the strip being so constructed that depression of that part of it above the part of the upper surface of the cover between the upwardly convex parts causes the strip to coil upwardly thereby uncovering the opening.

5. In combination, a part or device having an opening, the periphery of the opening having two opposite upwardly curved parts and two oppositely downwardly curved parts, a part spaced from the opening and having an upwardly convex surface aligned with the upwardly curved parts of the periphery of the opening, and a closure for the opening comprising a strip of resilient material having a first stable condition in which it is straight and has 10 3,033,414

5 opening.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Botts Oct. 6, 1959 Galland May 8 1962 

1. IN COMBINATION, A PART HAVING A CONVEX, PART CYLINDRICAL SURFACE HAVING AN OPENING THEREIN, AND A RESILIENT STRIP OF MATERIAL HAVING A FIRST STABLE CONDITION IN WHICH IT IS LINEARLY STRAIGHT AND TRANSVERSELY ARCUATELY CURVED AND HAVING ALSO A SECOND STABLE CONDITION IN WHICH IT IS CURVED FROM END TO END IN THE DIRECTION OF THE SIDE WHICH IS CONVEX IN ITS FIRST STABLE CONDITION, SAID RESILIENT STRIP BEING NORMALLY IN ITS FIRST STABLE CONDITION WITH ITS CONCAVE SIDE LYING IN FACE-TO-FACE ENGAGEMENT WITH THE CONVEX SURFACE OF SAID PART AND CLOSING SAID OPENING, MEANS SPACED FROM SAID OPENING CONNECTING SAID STRIP TO SAID PART, SAID STRIP BEING OPERABLE TO SAID SECOND STABLE CONDITION IN WHICH THE PART THEREOF NORMALLY CLOSING SAID OPENING REMOVED FROM SAID OPENING. 